Fire Chiefs commend Calderdale crews for bravery and dedication during the Boxing Day floods

Boxing day flood in Hebden Bridge.

Published:12:37Friday 13 May 2016

Over 50 operational firefighters and officers have been awarded by West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service for their professionalism in their response to the Boxing Day floods of 2015.

Firefighters from eight stations, including Todmorden and Mytholmroyd, as well as Control Room staff and fire officers were presented with certificates in acknowledgement of going above and beyond, not just in the emergency response to the flooding itself but also in their contribution to the recovery work afterwards.

The crews are from Mytholmroyd, Todmorden, Bradford, Wakefield, Bingley, Shipley, Idle and Rastrick,

The first flood-related 999 call to WYFRS Control Room came at 5.25pm on December 25. In total the Fire Service received 1053 emergency calls between Boxing Day and the end of December, of which 826 were flooding related. There were 144 rescues carried out.

Despite it being the festive period, some crews who were on leave returned to duty to serve their communities. In some instances, their own homes had been flooded but they still took the decision to come into work to help members of the public.

Deputy Chief Fire Officer Dave Walton said: “It is now five months since the Boxing Day floods of 2015.

“During that time we have been busy analysing our response and capturing our learning. In terms of the task faced by our crews on the day it is evident that they performed exceptionally well under very testing conditions.

“In the low key ceremony that we held we took time to listen to a few stories of individual effort and heroics and to say thank you to everyone involved. We are very proud of the skills and professionalism shown by our crews on the day who served in the finest tradition of West Yorkshire Fire & Rescue Service.”